Digital pact for schools: district invests over 10 million euros

For the improvement of digital networking, WLAN at schools and the acquisition of equipment, the district will invest 10.4 million euros over the next four years.

7 January 2022

The Waldeck-Frankenberg district is investing 10.4 million euros over the next four years to improve digital networking, WLAN at schools and the purchase of equipment. All measures are to be implemented by summer 2025.

In order to invest the federal and state funds as well as its own funds, the district administration, together with the schools and in regular close coordination with the State Education Authority, has determined the needs at the various school locations in Waldeck-Frankenberg over the past months. On this basis, a plan was drawn up for the concrete implementation of the individual measures, for which the district committee already gave its approval at the end of last year.

Speed of implementation
"The district is investing around four million euros to improve digital networking, around 3.5 million euros for interactive boards and displays and almost three million euros for wireless internet," says District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst, giving an overview of the specific use of the funds up to 2025. He goes on to promise: "We will also implement measures that can be implemented quickly very quickly."

Over the next four years, more than 1,700 classrooms will be rewired and more than 1,100 rooms will be equipped with presentation technology such as interactive boards, beamers or displays with tablets. In addition, around 600 rooms will get new media columns and the existing media columns will be upgraded to the latest standards. 60 server rooms will also be converted in the course of this. The prerequisites for this are not only the availability of appropriate materials, but also of specialist planners and service providers.

Prioritisation necessary
Since these goals cannot all be implemented at the same time, but only gradually, there is a corresponding list of priorities: smaller measures that can be done quickly are to be put into action directly. Larger projects to improve the digital infrastructure should be carried out as soon as possible - but by summer 2025 at the latest. And: Digitisation should once again be a weighty criterion in the complete renovation of school buildings. The current digital equipment, the technical state of development, construction or renovation measures already underway or planned, the type of school and the location will all play a role in deciding which schools will be given their turn and when.

In recent years, the district, together with other partners, has built a fibre optic network of around 2,200 kilometres in northern Hesse with an investment volume of over 140 million euros. This has contributed to the 69 school locations in Waldeck-Frankenberg being connected to fast internet by the end of last year.